If you are overweight you will probably know the health risks associated and you will want to reduce your risk of developing diabetes, heart disease or joint problems. Also you know you can improve the way you look by losing some weight. The best thing is to set yourself a realistic goal, say 10-14 pounds over a period of a few weeks. If you are very overweight and this is not sufficient, then you will need to take stock once you have achieved this initial loss and use the same principles to further your weight loss. Do not be tempted to try a crash diet as this will not work in the long run. It is almost certain that your excess weight has accumulated over a period of time and it is best to reduce that excess over a further period allowing your body to adjust and stay healthy.
In order to lose weight you must alter the balance between the energy value of the food you take in and the actual energy you use. If you are consuming daily food that would produce more energy than you actually use then this excess food energy is going to be stored as fat, no matter in what form you take in this food excess, either carbohydrate or fat. It is vital then that you take in less food energy than you need, thus forcing your body to use up some of its energy reserves, i.e. fat.
This needs to be done gradually as a sudden starvation will tend to have the unwanted effect of slowing down the body's metabolism as it tries to hold on to its energy reserves.
In order to alter this food intake/ energy use balance you need to cut down the amount of daily calories consumed and increase your amount of daily exercise. Unless you increase your exercise levels you will not call upon your body's stored energy reserves and so will not lose weight
Reducing your daily calories
You should think in terms of permanently changing your eating habits in order to eat more healthily. You need to eat much less of the foods that are high in calories whilst keeping up a good intake of protein and fibre-containing fruit and vegetables. Such a diet need not be boring. There are many resources and recipes available for healthy eating.
The best way, I believe for most people to reduce their calorie input is to cut down on carbohydrate rich foods, particularly those with a lot of refined carbohydrate. This means avoiding all processed foods as much as possible. Most if not all these kinds of manufactured foods have high concentrations of sugars and are best avoided.
This means you should
Avoid ready-made meals,tinned baked beans, white bread, white pasta, bottled sauces, cakes and biscuits.
Replace fizzy drinks ( even diet ones ) with water
cut down on alcohol, especially beer.
Cut out sugar in tea and coffee
have a good breakfast and then go through to lunch without a mid-morning snack.
Avoid all junk foods like crisps, sweets, pot noodles and the like.
Take slightly smaller portions of your meals and avoid sweet desserts. Have fruit instead..
If you are not sure how much of whatever foods you are actually eating it may be necessary to write down everything eaten and drunk for a couple of days before you start to make changes in your diet. In this way you should be able to identify the problems.
With regard to breakfast, many people seem to skip this because they don't have much time in the morning or don't feel like eating. This is a big mistake as it only leaves you with a mid-morning energy deficit which you look to correct by means of a quick snack which is likely to be completely the wrong type of food. Have a substantial breakfast and you will be able to survive until lunch time without taking on excess calories. At breakfast you have a choice of two main ways to go. You can have an Atkins-type breakfast such as eggs and bacon or omelette which are high in protein and fat which may seem a little strange, but, some fat at breakfast will make you feel full for much longer and the calories thus consumed are few in comparison to the vast reduction in calories you will achieve by cutting back on your over all carbohydrate intake.
The alternative type of breakfast is based around a more traditional combination of low GI cereal such as oats, combined with fruit and yoghurt. You could have a dried fruit and nut based muesli instead with semi-skimmed milk, or you could have porridge.
So, having got through to lunch you will sustain a low calorie consumption if you have some protein and salad or vegetable. You can have fish, chicken or other lean meat. As long as you avoid the foods with carbohydrate such as pasta you are on the right track.
If in the middle of the afternoon you feel peckish then a handful of nuts, a banana or any fruit should be sufficient. Drinking plenty of water through the day is also important as it helps you to feel full and hydrated.
The evening meal should follow the same pattern as lunch, majoring on lean meat with plenty of vegetables. Steamed or microwaved fish, a stir-fry, or a hearty casserole are all permissable.
Increasing your exercise
This is probably the difficult part for many people, since many of us live such sedentary lives. If your day consists of driving to work and then sitting at a desk all day you have to think creatively about getting more exercise. It doesn't have to be regimented or all taken at one go. You should try however to walk for at least twenty minutes per day, either during your lunch time or after work. A short run or cycle ride would be even better. Perhaps you could go for a swim three times a week ? Apart from these pursuits it is essential to move about during the day and not stay sitting still. Try to walk up and down stairs rather than take the lift.
Short bouts of aerobic exercise are beneficial as long as you don't overdo it. Try to start gradually and build up the length of time for your exertions as you feel able.
If you want to maximise your weight loss there seems little doubt that building more muscle in your body will help. We are not talking about a strong-man physique here but just generally more muscle in the arms and legs, as it is the muscle tissue of the body that burns the calories, and the more you have, the better. In order to build muscle you would need to start some resistance training and maybe go as far as some small weight training. Provided you do the correct exercises this is something anyone can do at home. You don't need to join a gym
Finally it is important that you persist with your efforts and do not get discouraged if you do not immediately see the effects. It will take time, and if you can reduce daily calorie input by 3-400 and take more exercise you can expect to reduce your weight by one or two pounds per week and therefore achieve your goal within a couple of months.
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
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